Some things are just simple.  I’d like to tell you this is a complicated recipe and only really accomplished cooks should attempt–but the truth is making the classic holiday ham is ridiculously easy. The most complicated part of this is acquiring the equipment you need–a giant bowl, smoker, kitchen scale, and refrigerator space.  Still, not that difficult.

I prefer the leanness of feral hogs to commercial pork.  It’s less greasy and the muscle fibers are more dense, so if you’ve got access kill a few.  When butchering, I leave the bone in because I don’t want to tie anything. Plus, hambones.  This is from the big boy my son and I shot in August.

This recipe is for a 10 pound ham, so use your math skills to match the ratio for salt, sugar and water in the brine; and for how long to brine if yours isn’t ten pounds. Everything else can be adjusted to taste.

Equipment

• Big bowl
• Refrigerator space
• Smoker

Ingredients 

• The back leg of a wild boar, with shank removed.

Brine

• 1 gallon of water
• 235 grams of kosher salt
• 250 grams of brown sugar
• 28 grams of pink salt

Glaze

• 1/2 cup of dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup of Whataburger Mustard
• 2 cups of brown sugar
• 3 minced garlic cloves

Method

• Dissolve the brine ingredients in the water and add to the bowl with the ham.  Make sure it’s fully submerged.   by putting a couple heavy plates on the meat.  Let it soak for 7 days in the fridge.
• After a week, remove from the brine and rinse with cool water.
•  Dry off the ham with a towel. Place on a cookie rack and let dry for 24 hours in the fridge.
• Smoke the ham at 200 degrees for about 2 hours.  I like orange wood’s flavor and highly recommend it.  Hickory, pecan, mesquite are all bueno as well.
• During the initial smoke, mix up the glaze ingredients until smooth.
• Remove the ham, slap on the glaze and continue to smoke it until the internal temperature reaches 157. Add more glaze about every hour.
• When done, add the remaining glaze.  Serve immediately, or allow to cool and refrigerate.  Rewarm it in the oven if you want.